Scott opens up about his past

Rick Scott said on Tuesday he did not know his birth father and spent years watching his adoptive dad struggle to hold a job.

It might have seemed unusual for Florida’s governor to unload such personal details during his annual State of the State address. But the details he included were part of a continuing, if belated, effort to connect with voters through personal stories of his life, an area in which he has mostly struggled during his first three years in office.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott talks about raising the bar on his jobs prediction numbers during his State of the State speech Tuesday on the floor of the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Tallahassee. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)

Just over a month ago in Lakewood Ranch, Scott seemed to test some of the same themes used in his latest speech. Then, as he did on Tuesday, Scott told 500 people in Lakewood Ranch that he did not know his “natural father” and spoke of growing up poor in Illinois and Missouri.

“I lived in public housing,” Scott said in late January. “I remember the day my dad had his car repossessed.”

Since he was elected in 2010, Scott has mostly guarded those early personal struggles from the public eye. But it’s a rags-to-riches background that political consultants say is key to his reconnecting with voters who have mostly perceived a cold, calculating CEO image drawn from his professional life.

When Scott, 61, has tried to open up in the past, he has typically and clumsily told audiences about his upbringing — if he has mentioned it at all — through disjointed stories that don’t always connect to his larger point. For instance, in a speech in Venice last May, Scott sought to relate his father’s military background, but wound up saying more about how much his dad smoked cigarettes.

Following his Lakewood Ranch talk to the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange in late January, Scott acknowledged that it’s not as easy for him to open up as some people want.

Scott’s mother, Esther, died last year. During his State of the State speech, Scott mentioned her repeatedly because, he said, “I wanted another chance to talk about her and how I wish she was here today.”

The contrast between his first speech to the Legislature in 2011 and Tuesday’s is startling because of the increased attention he is now paying to his personal story.

In his first State of the State, Scott — still largely unknown to most Floridians — didn’t mention his mother or father at all during an almost 3,000-word opening speech. In fact, aside from mentioning his wife, Ann, at the start, he said nothing more about his personal life, not even mentioning his daughters.

Contrast that with Tuesday’s address. During a speech of some 3,100 words, he dedicated nearly 600 words to talking about his upbringing and the early years of financial struggles with his wife. He also included stories about his daughters, and about his grandson’s desire to be a cowboy when he grows up.

Those who have watched Scott closely say they are seeing a new side of the governor. Former State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, who has heard dozens of Scott’s speeches, said he knew little of the governor’s personal struggles growing up until the Lakewood Ranch speech. Bennett said it’s an account he is convinced will resonate with voters if Scott just tells it more often.

Sarasota Republican Party chairman Joe Gruters noted that Scott was new to politics when he ran in 2010. As a hospital-chain CEO, he didn’t have to worry about getting people to like him — only about performance. But in government, it’s not just about running the state.

There’s also a need to appeal to people on a personal level, an area in which he said Scott is much improved.

“It’s part of his continued evolution as a public speaker and elected official,” Gruters said.

While telling a touchy-feely story may not seem like a big deal, the skill’s importance has to be weighed in light of Scott’s likely opponent this year. If former Gov. Charlie Crist wins the Democratic nomination, as expected, Scott will face his polar opposite in terms of connecting with voters.

Even when the state’s economy was tanking in 2009 and 2010, Crist had approval ratings almost twice as high as Scott’s over the last four years.

Quinnipiac University, which has been polling in Florida since 2004, reports that Crist’s approval rating with voters has never dropped below 49 percent. In contrast, Scott’s has never topped about 43 percent.

About 46 percent of voters in a January Quinnipiac poll said they would pick Crist over Scott in a head-to-head matchup. Thirty-eight percent picked Scott over Crist.

Part of that advantage is linked to the ease with which Crist — who has been in politics since the 1990s — opens up with audiences and shares parts of his personal life. Rarely does Crist speak when he doesn’t talk about his mother and father, his background playing football in St. Petersburg as a kid, or going to college at Florida State University.

Scott insisted on Tuesday that it’s not politics driving him to tell more about himself. He cited two reasons for the new emphasis.

The first is to talk more about his mother.

“The second reason for talking about my story,” Scott said, “is that I hope it explains just a little about my passion for creating jobs and opportunities for all Florida citizens.”

Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace has covered politics for more than 15 years.
He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4966.
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Last modified: March 5, 2014
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